Unforgettable: Liberty

The next time the Carlos Pacheco returned to San Diego, shore police arrested Captain Nelson. But — possibly because he was a regular in San Diego and because Falconer might never return — Judge Monroe let Nelson off on a technicality.

No one knew who owned the Otago, or didn’t care to check (it was the Albion Shipping Co. Ltd.). Therefore, the judge reasoned, Nelson, the captain of the Carlos Pacheco, could be a part owner of the Otago. And if so, the breathtaking logic concluded, Nelson “had every right to blow up his own ship.” — Jeff Smith